Purchasing Used GenII Prius, What Sort of Things Should I Look Out For?

Well, if you had an '07, you probably know better than anyone what to watch out for. How long did you have the '07 for?

Finding a Gen II w/ 150k miles for $8K (in good condition) is possible but, it will likely be an 04 or 05.

 

Longevity is affected by many things but overall the Prius has proven very durable. 230k is a lot of miles. I would personally not be inclined to purchase a vehicle w/ that many miles just b/c of wear. Mechanical components wear out w/ use and the Prius is no exception. On a car w/ 230k expect front and rear wheel bearings to fail, water pump failure, inverter pump failure, possible strut failure, cv boots, and a whole host of other things that can go wrong. I would recommend a low mileage (80-120k miles) Gen II (2006 or above) for $10-12K over a high mileage(150kmile+) '04/5 for $5-8K but, that's my preference.

If you're handy and don't mind doing the work, any car can be kept on the road indefinitely. The longevity of the Prius is exceptional but, most 04/5's, w/ 200,000+ miles on them, are probably coming up on their final days.

 

Just for point of reference, my '05 with 233k miles on it still has a KBB Private Party value of $6200. In excellent condition at a dealer, the KBB value would $8600. Obviously there are deals to be had, but the point is that the Prius holds value unlike many other cars even with very high mileage. Certainly there can be huge failures in the future, or maybe not. The biggest worry with high miles would be suspension components, but the inspections that I've had done show everything to be holding its own.
Buying a used car without knowing the history is always a gamble, but with Toyota it's usually a little less risky. (For example, my company has Chevy wheelchair vans which were purchased new but have had constant problems, including a cracked head - not head gasket - at under 50k miles, and another with cracked head gasket at 39k miles). Newer with fewer miles is preferred, but you could do worse with another make/model.

 

Given just how crazy prices are for used cars I think that if I were in the position I'd have to strongly consider the $11k Nissan Versa. Yes, I realize it is a very entry level car, but it was featured at a Leaf event I attended last summer and it was not a bad car and Nissan is a solid company. Perhaps it is not right for you, but looking at a 5+ year old Prius with over 120,000 miles at $6-8k compared to a new Versa for $11k I think the Nissan would win.

 

Things to look for:
-Maintenance record - register at the Toyota Owners site and check to see if the necessary recalls/proper maintenance regime was followed
-12v battery. Even though its relatively easy to obtain and install its still another $150 out of pocket, should you buy a car with a bad one.
-Try to look at the car when its cold. That way if the combination meter acts up, you might catch it then. Same goes with the MFD.
-Look for crusty or white powder deposits on the ICE water pump.
-I have a handheld scantool that I always bring with me when I look at cars. It reads some manufacturer specific codes. I'd recommend doing this or at least bringing it to a Toyota dealer and having them check out all the systems (Ive read on here they'll charge $100 or so, but thats money well spent if you are about to have a bad hybrid battery, bad cvt, etc...).

Good Luck! Up here in Metro Detroit, Prius are cheap. Heck, theres an 05 with 40,000 miles that I saw on craigslist a while back for $8000. If you feel like getting a good deal, expand your searches and travel a little outside of the area you normally would. Not like you'll use much gas driving the Prius home

 

My brother went to look at an older Prius with low miles and a great price here in Columbus a couple of months ago, turns out it had been totaled in an accident and rebuilt, and his insurance company wouldn't cover it. Not saying that all great deals are too good to be true, but they often are

 

I have an 06 Prius with 173000 miles...mostly from high mountain to plain driving in Colorado. 12 v started failing last year. Was in financially challenging times...and not sure I would hang on to vehicle due to possible move...so did not replace until this week. Was able to limp along for a year with one of those portable battery packs. Dealer who installed here told me that this is the highest mileage Prius they have seen to date. I now live in Hawaii...you'd have to drive around the island a lot to accumulate mileage like I did in Colorado...and due to gas prices am thrilled that I hung on to car. The only other items I have previously had to replace is water pump...which I think has been recognized as a design issue and any recalls. I have never replaced the brakes and to date have only used 20% of the pads. SERIOUSLY. I am faithful about getting oil changes. I am one of those who ended up going down the road at 80 miles an hour unexpectedly...and yes i did have the rugged floor mats to which they attributed the problem. I will definitely get another Prius....probably second generation again...RELIABLE! Low Maintenance. Can haul a lot of things in it. Average 44-48 MPG. A car is a tool....and this one has worked very well for me. It has been a great investment. Might not get the roadster next time...despite the fact that i love the leather seats...cause they wear well....headlights and other bells and whistles are more expensive to replace.

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Seeing many of these a day I would be most concerned with the following:

Water pump - has it been replaced? If not this is good p/m it will fail soon(preventative maintenance)
The Inverter water pump - same thing p/m
Struts - around 120 they will be getting weak. p/m
When was last fluid change for all fluids??? If not done do them so you have baseline. p/m
basically all of the above are normal wear and tear items that are to be expected.....

We have seen many Gen II start to burn about a quart of oil between oil changes at this mileage. I would be concerned with this and check around the tail pipe for signs of burnt oil soot...etc... make sure the car is off!

Bottom line. A well kept prius at 120K will have at least another 100K on it if not more. It is worth the time and money to have it checked out by a knowledgeable shop. Prefrebably a shop that has a computer that can also check the individual charge state etc... of the cells in the battery. If there is to much variation here its a sign a battery pack is due in the near future.